Saliva-ejector.



J. B. JORDAN.. SALIVA EJECTOR. APrLIoATIoN FILED Ammo, 1903. BBNEWED-JULY 1e, 1909.

951,1 30, Patented Mar.8,1910.

messes:

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEroE.

JAMES BLOUNT JORDAN, 0F NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR TO THE JORDANCOMPANY, A CORPORATION.

SALIVA-EJECTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 8, 1910.

Application led April 30, 1908, Serial No. 430,222. Renewed July 1G,1908. Serial No. 508,004.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES B. JORDAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Nashville, in the county of Davidson and State of Tennessee,have invented new and useful Improvements in Saliva-Ejectors, of whichthe following is a specification.

This invention relates to a saliva ejector for use in dental work, andthe primary object of the invention is to provide an etlicient device ofthis class which is easily applicable and when in place is positivelyheld in the mouth without the use of clamps and will not discomfort thepatient or injure the tender tissues of the mouth or gum and by its usepermitting an operator to freely work on the teeth with both hands inoperative work. j

The ejector when applied will efliciently operate to carry olf allsaliva and water used during certain kinds of dental operations.

The invention consists in the construction and arrangement of theseveral parts which will be more fully hereinafter specified inpreferred form.

In the drawing: Figure l is a plan view of the complete ejectorembodying the features of the invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse ivertical section taken through the body of the ejector. Fig. 3 is aperspective view of the ejector shown in a different position.

Similar characters of reference are employed to indicate correspondingparts in the several views.

The improved instrument comprises essentially a tubular loop 1, wings 2of highly polished plate material fixed to portions of the loop, ahandle 3 also secured to the rear part of the loop, outlet tubes orrelief pipes 4 each provided with a clamp 5 and a main tube 6 extendingfrom a siphon of suitable construction and having a tubular fork 7 towhich the tubes or pipes are connected.

The loop 1 is provided with side arms 8 having suitable apertures 9therein at intervals and connected at the rear by an upstanding arch l0and merging at the front into arched members 11 to which the frontextremities of the tubes or pipes 4 are connected. j

One extremity of the handle 3 is secured to one of the members 8 toassist in properly placing or disposing the ejector in the mouth of thepatient. For the purpose of convenient manipulation this handle 3 isattached to one member 8 and is removable through a screw-threadedconnection as at 3e, so that after the ejector has been positioned inthe mouth of the patient, the handle may be detached.

The tubes or pipes 4 serve as intakes or receptive means to relieve theportions of the loop to which they are attached of saliva or water andby this means a continual drainage is set up, the intake or receptivemeans being readily controllable as to their open and closed conditionby the operation of the clamps 5 and either intake or receptive meansmay be opened independently of the other and either' arm 8 relieved ordrained of its accumulation of saliva or water, or the portion of themouth adjacent to said arms may be cleared of such accumulations. Thearms o-f the loop together with the intake or receptive means consistingof the tubes or pipes 4 may be so manipulated as to prevent the entranceof air that might have a tendency to interfere with the effectivedrainage of the mouth of the patient. It will be understood that the twoarms 8 are so disposed as to respectively drain the lingual and buccalsurfaces of the mouth, and as saliva collects more quickly on thelingual surface than on the buccal surface the arm 8 disposed to drainthe lingual surface will have the intake or receptive means connectedthereto more frequently operated, but this operation of the one intakeor receptive means will not in the least interfere with the othersimilar means or the arm 8 cooperating with the buccal surface.

In applying the instrument or ejector the body thereof is disposed inthe mouth of the patient and so positioned that the arch 10 of the loopwill be back of the last molar and the arms 8 will bear on the lingualand louccal surfaces. The arched portions or members 1l pass upwardlyand outwardly over the front lower teeth and lip and the intakes orreceptive means 4 will depend over the adjacent portion of the body ofthe patient. Instead of applying the arch l() back of the last molar asjust explained, said arch is high enough to be moved in advance orforwardly toward the mouth of the patient and clear the teeth over whichit extends as may be required in carrying on dental operations with thedifferent teeth. In other words, the position of the ejector is notlimited, as it may be moved forwardly and backwardly Within the mouth asmay be found necessary. As before explained the entrance of air into oneinlet and the corresponding tubular arm S to which said inlet isconnected,

prevents the ent ance of saliva or Water into the other inlet or intake.lt is therefore necessary if saliva is accumulating faster upon one arm8 than the other, that the arm free from accumulating saliva should bekept closed until sutlicient saliva has accumulated to till said arm,and the latter then opened through the clearance of the intake orreceptive means connected thereto until the accumulated saliva is drawnotl or taken up and said arm is then again closed.

The handle 3 is shown as being attached to the forward portion of one:rm 8. vVhile this is a preferred association of the handle with theejector, .it 'will be understood that f the said handle may be appliedto any portion of the ejector and furthermore in some applications anduses of the ejector the handle may be detached and the ejectorsuccessfullyY operated without the assistance of the handle.

The wings Q not only serve as reflectors and by means of the handle 3readily mov able to take the place of mirrors, but also act as guards toprevent the tongue and cheek from coming in contact with the teeth to beoperated on and thus avoid interference With the ivork of the operatorand the use of instruments or grinding devices. The Wings 2 are firmlysoldered or otherwise fastened to the arms 8 so that they will always bein proper position and cannot possibly slip out of place. It ivill alsobe observed that the handle may be employed as a holding means for thebody of the ejector Without requiring the use of a retaining clamp, and,furthermore, troublesome and expensive valves are entirely eliminatedfrom the arms 8 and their connections and each arm may be independentlydrained.

From the foregoing description it will be evident that the improvedejector comprises broadly, lingual and buccal tubular drainage elementsWhich have intake or receptive means preferably in the form of flexibletubes which are independently operative as to open and closed position,and further that the lingual and buccal drainage elements may beindependently controlled to relieve the accumulations of saliva or Waterfrom the surfaces With which they cooperate ivithout the one affectingthe operation of the other.

Changes in the proportions, dimensions and minor details of the ejectormay also be made Within the scope of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is:

1. A saliva ejector having buccal and lingual tubular drainage elements,each having inlet means, and flexible intake or receptive tubulardevices connected to the elements and each provided With exteriorlyoperative means for opening and closing` the same.

A saliva ejector having buccal and lingual tubular drainage elementsprovided With openings for the inlet of saliva thereto, said elementsbeing also provided with front l individually arched terminals, highlypol ished Wings secured to the elements, and separate means attached tothe front arched terminals for relieving the drainage elements ofaccumulations of saliva..

3. A saliva ejector having drainage elements provided with archedmembers, and intake devices independently cooperating with the drainageelements for individually relieving the latter of accinnulations ofsaliva.

4. A saliva ejector having drainage elements connected by a rear archand provided With arched extremities adapted to project exteriorly ofthe mouth of the patient, intake or receptive devices individuallyconnected to the arched extremities, and means to Which the intake orreceptive devices are unitedly attached for relieving` one or both ofsaid devices of saliva.

A saliva ejector consisting of a rigid tubular loop with inlet openingstherein and arched to fit over the teeth, and exterior flexible intakeor recept-ive means connected to extremities of the loop for drainingthe same.

6. A saliva ejector, consisting of a tubular loop having a rear arch tolit over the teeth and to receive saliva on opposite sides of the teeth,and exterior flexible drainage devices connected to the outer terminalsof the loop.

'Z'. A saliva ejector consisting of a tubular loop having a rear archand outer arched members, drainage devices connected to thel archedmembers and means removably attached to a part of the loop for placingand holding the ejector in applied position.

8. A saliva ejector consisting of drainage devices, and a handleremovably attached thereto.

9. A saliva ejector involving drainage devices having reliecting meansforming a part thereof and a handle removably attached to said deviceswhereby the latter may be placed in operative position or Withdrawn fromthe mouth of the patient, and reliecting means positioned to inspect theteeth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto s et my hand in presence of tvvosubscribing Witnesses.

JAS. BLOUNT JORDAN.

Witnesses VTM. H. LINDsEY, PEARL VILCOX.

